Eric Bailey’s success story with the Career Readiness and Employment program (CRE) began in early 2024. Since his first meeting with Commonwealth Autism, Eric has received his driver’s license, become a full-time employee at Good Foods Grocery, and he’s an advocate for other autistic adults looking for work in Richmond.
Eric’s Mother Found the Right Launch Pad for Her Autistic Son’s Career
The first cohort of the program taught me how important it was to celebrate the small wins every day to see growth in our graduates.
– Sarah McCaig, Program Manager of the Career Readiness and Employment Program
Donna, Eric’s mother, learned about the program through a pamphlet placed at the registers of Good Foods Grocery. She’d been looking for resources for Eric, wondering how to support a child with autism on their journey to independent living. Throughout his time in and out of the program, she’s seen how much happier he’s become. He can be found chatting about movies with the deli staff, recommending music, and they even went to a local concert near Church Hill.
It’s prepared me for focus, and attention, and listening to someone at the appropriate time. It’s helped me speak to general strangers and helped me with social cues.
– Eric Bailey, graduate from the Career Readiness and Employment program
During the program, Sarah says that Eric has learned to advocate for himself proactively to ensure that both his needs and the needs of his employer are met in ways that work for both. He stated at the beginning of the program that he didn’t feel like he had a voice in past employment experiences. He has been given the opportunity to find his voice and the empowerment to use it at Good Foods Grocery.
Eric has worked at the Good Foods Grocery deli for over a year. He is a hard-working, determined, communicative employee who is always improving. Amy, deli manager at Good Foods Grocery, says that he’s always been good with following directions but he was quiet at first. He started to make connections with the other staff members once he heard about their interests outside of work. He easily jumped into conversations and now he’s always hanging out with his coworkers.
How Life Skills and Transition Factored into Eric’s Success
(On obtaining Eric’s driver’s license) It was more about of challenging where he already knew the skills, he was just nervous in getting it. He just needed a little push.
– Danya Piggee, Life Skills and Transition coach
Danya Piggee has been working for Commonwealth Autism for seven years. She’s a coach for the Life Skills and Transition program where adults with autism learn skills for independent living. This could mean budgeting, cooking, organizational skills, and more depending on the individual.
In her initial meeting with Eric, they determined that getting his driver’s license was a natural next step for him. Between work and his social life, he needed to have the freedom that his license would allow. He had all of the skills needed, but valued the accountability that the program offered.
Now, Eric’s car is a staple of the Good Foods Grocery employee parking lot. Catch him zooming away into the Stony Point sunset!
Ways to Support Interns and Graduates of the CRE Program
If you would like to support the Career Readiness and Employment program, you can sign up for our newsletter to stay updated with the most recent information!
You can also donate to the program and participate in our events like the Harvest for All Festival and Giving Tuesday.
